Cooper on COVID-19 vaccine: ‘Get off social media and get on the phone with your doctor’

RALEIGH, NC (WTVD/WWAY) — Governor Roy Cooper begged for North Carolinians to step up and get vaccinated to end the COVID-19 pandemic during a news conference Thursday.

“How many people need to get sick and die because people don’t get this miraculous vaccine?” Cooper said. “How many people need to witness the cruel death of a loved one?”

He added that the vast majority of hospitalizations are happening in people who are not vaccinated. “If you’re hesitant, get off social media and get on the phone with your doctor,” he added.

State Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen echoed Cooper’s sentiments, laying out the latest COVID-19 data for the state.

She pointed to the rapid rise in cases over the summer due to the Delta variant–the sharpest increase in cases the state has seen thus far during the pandemic. She added that the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 was extremely worrisome and that more than a third of people hospitalized were under the age of 49.

While more than 59% of North Carolinians over the age of 12 have been vaccinated, just 35% of teenagers and 40% of young adults between 18 and 24 have gotten the vaccine. Cohen recommended that people add layers of protection, given the high rate of community spread, such as wearing a mask.

“We are 18 months into this pandemic and almost 9 months into the time that vaccines have come onto the scene,” Cooper said. “The key to ending this pandemic of course is the vaccine. There’s still time to protect yourself.”

Cooper added that more than 96% of students in North Carolina schools are in districts where masks are required. Just three school districts are not requiring masks at this time.